7 Ways To Be Happier, Lessons Learned From the Happiness Hall of Fame

I am so thrilled to welcome Mike Duffy to my podcast. Mike is an author, philanthropist, and the founder of the Happiness Hall of Fame. 

The Happiness Hall Of Fame is a non-profit that recognizes special people that have advanced the cause of happiness throughout the world. The hall was founded to celebrate and encourage incredible people and organizations that make other people happy. The hall honors philanthropists, athletes, authors, teachers, coaches, business leaders, artists, job creators, entertainers, charities, organizations, doctors, innovators, and people who inspire. The list of inductees is very long, but I’ve included some of these inspiring people at the end of these show notes for you.   

Mike has the most infectious energy and is here to talk to us about the 7 ways to be happier and the wisdom that he has gained from the inductees of the Happiness Hall of Fame. 

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the complete Episode:

1. Discover the 7 ways to happiness.
2. Mike provides insight into the importance of having a noble purpose.
3. Be a blessing to someone by being a part of the happy bag movement.

Episode Highlights

Who is Mike Duffy

• Mike is an author, philanthropist, and the founder of the Happiness Hall of Fame.
• He was a happy-go-lucky kid, but when he lost his mother to cancer at the age of 17, he suffered great depression.
• Back then, therapy was for crazy people, and there was no money for it.
• To learn how to feel better again, Mike went to the library for answers.

The obsession with happiness

• Mike went to the library and read about the science of happiness every day.
• He went on to pursue a degree in psychology.
• He says that sometimes out of great tragedies come wonderful things, and so began his lifelong obsession with studying happiness.

The Happiness Hall of Fame

• Mike Duffy started this about 10 years ago. He was sick and tired of reading negative news stories.
• He thought that people and organizations who make other people happy should be celebrated, recognized and encouraged.
• And so, he did just that to shine a spotlight on people and organizations doing the right thing.

The 7 steps of happiness

• Mike shares the 7 steps of happiness, discussing each of them below.
• The steps include happiness being a choice, finding your purpose, gratitude, forgiveness, procrastination being a killer, planning for peace, and finally, the need to stop fearing failure.

Happiness is a choice

• Our ancient brains are designed to bring negative thoughts very quickly, and we have thousands of negative thoughts that flood our brains daily. 
• It’s a form of protection so that we wouldn’t fall off a cliff or walk into a rosebush. 
• Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, we have to dwell on possibilities, choosing to be happy.

Find your purpose 

• We all have multiple purposes, and it’s crucial to write them down.
• There’s a formula to use: P + P = H. Purpose plus progress equals happiness.
• The second P is vital as nothing happens without action.

Be grateful

• Mike says that 80% of happiness is a result of gratitude.
• Because when you’re grateful, you’re not feeling sorry for yourself.
• Count your blessings at night and each morning, wake up and ask how you can be a blessing to someone else.
• This will set you up for success.

Forgiveness

• Unforgiveness weighs you down and is not something you need in life.
• It occupies a space that should be filled with success and happiness.
• Forgiving someone is a selfish act for yourself and is transformative.

Procrastination is a killer

• Finish what you start.
• Procrastination is a killer that makes you feel bad about yourself.
• You’re going to do it anyway, so why not just get it out the way.

Plan for peace

• Come up with thoughts that will steer you back to calmness.
• If you feel that you’re going to have panic attacks, have a plan in place.

Stop fearing failure

• We have such a short life and fear holds us back.
• Don’t make excuses and live with regret. 
• You can succeed even if you’re afraid and have to get uncomfortable.

A noble purpose

• You want to have a noble purpose, to help people; this is where the joy is.
• Write out your goals and purposes of life, and an unexamined life is not a life worth living.

Friends and happiness

• Mike says that friends are God’s gold.
• Often they can bring happiness and support that sometimes family can’t.
• Friends are like the family you get to choose, always look to make friends with quality people.

Join the happy bag’s movement

• The ability to make a change and help people does not need to be overwhelming.
• Something small like going to the dollar store and buying socks or cans of chunky soup for the homeless will make a difference and bring joy.
• There’s a tag you can download, print, and attach to your happy bag so that they know what it is when you’re approaching people.
• Helping people will make you happy too!

What Mike is grateful for

• Mike was kind enough to say that he is grateful for people like me, who spread the word about how beautiful life is.

3 Powerful Quotes from this Episode

15:51 – “You have to sacrifice to gain, and you have to give, givers gain. Yeah. Then I would say be grateful for what you have. I would say 80% of happiness is a result of gratitude. Because when you are grateful, you are not feeling sorry for yourself”.

22:40 – “Sometimes in life Tiffany, there are words or phrases that change your life for the better. At that moment, I stopped seeing people on the street as down on their luck and saw them as friends on the street. That moment started the happiness Hall of Fame, homeless outreach. And most days I go out, and I meet my friends on the street. When I walk away from them, I write down their names. I write down what medications they’re on, I write down what troubles and travails they’re currently in. And I pray with them right on the street. Sometimes they’ll say I don’t know how to pray, I was never taught. So I teach them how to pray. I give them purpose, by them praying for me, I asked them to pray for me, believe me, I need all the prayers that I can get”.

24:10 – “The next one is a muscle that you have to develop, and it’s a hard muscle to develop. Now, many people will say that’s it, I’m out, turn this podcast off. But this is gonna save your life. It’s to forgive. One of my favorite quotes is that to have unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die of the poisoned new drink. Right? You don’t need it in your life. It’s weighing you down. It’s occupying space in your head that you need things like success to fill, that you need things like happiness to fill”.

Connect with Mike Duffy

Mike Duffy 

Happiness Hall of Fame

A few of the inductees in The Happiness Hall of Fame:

• Muhammad Ali
• Deepak Chopra
• Dr. Wayne Dyer
• Serena Williams
• Derek Jeter
• Taylor Swift
• Tony Robbins
• Reggie Jackson

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Thanks for listening,

Tiff